Secrecy and Madness
by ppezza
Summary: Her secrecy brought on madness, and her madness was the cause of that secrecy. So what happens when Mai has been missing for three years and the recently renewed SPR's first case is connected to her?


**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.**

My eyes scanned the room. Hands folded together, I planted my elbows against the smooth mahogany of my desk and rested my chin against my clasped hands. Playful laughter filled the room, and shouts of greetings pervaded my ears.

I inhaled slowly, letting my eyes flutter closed.

Exhale.

A small frame idly shuffled my way. I pretended not to notice, though my recognition was eminent. Her footsteps padding across the floor could be made known by anyone.

"Naru," Masako whispered behind a sleeve.

Without glancing up, I nodded. She proceeded to speak. "Yasuhara will be unable to come today because of classes, but asked that I inform you of a client coming around noon."

Ah, yes. Osamu Yasuhara. He was one of the few people I called a friend, though at most times a bit of a nuisance. However, he was a colleague nonetheless, and again I hired him upon my return to Japan.

"Very well," I muttered, rising from my seat. I could feel a headache forming and gently brought a hand to my head, messaging my temples.

"May I get you anything?" The young girl asked. On the inside I twitched, willed her to go. Leave me be. But I knew she was persistent.

I slightly shook my head, pushing my way past her into the main room. She quickly scuttled behind. The room slowly silenced upon my entrance. Walking past the dusty desk that lay directly outside my office, I reached for a manila folder and began to sift through its contents.

My eyes rested on the empty seat behind the desk for but a second before I dropped down into a single, black leathered seat amongst the group.

The silence did not last long. An arm quickly hooked over my shoulder, a new body mass weighing itself on me. I crooked my lip in slight irritation.

"Big boss!" The monk chirped. He gripped me tight, a goofy smile adorning his face.

I sighed, "Refrain from this behavior and act more your age. You'd think a grown man would at least be able to do that."

Instead of the usual banter or dramatically hurtful exasperations, I was met with a hearty chuckle and freed from the monk's hold. I adjusted my shirt sleeve and turned to the portion of people before me, taking it all in.

It's been three years since I have seen these faces, sitting on these sofas, intently looking my way. Part of me embraced the nostalgia, and it warmed me. But then I noticed a missing person and that feeling was gone.

"We've missed you, Naru," John chirped.

Ayako nodded in agreement, "I finally had some free time with you brats gone. But I guess it's nice to be back together." The priestess flipped a bundle of hair behind her shoulder and crossed her arms.

"Ha," Bou-san snorted.

Ayako Matsuzaki glared in reply, holding her fist up as a threat. The way she would normally respond.

I cleared my throat, grabbing everyone's attention once more. "Yes, we are back. And we are here to work. So if you are not present for the same reason, I suggest you leave."

Not a single person moved, but instead, smiled. I moved to speak, but was cut off by a soft rap at the door. Heads swiveled as the handle turned, and a young man staggered into the room. I took him in, analyzing.

Lin Koujo stood, shutting his computer and heading for the door. We watched as the man jumped at his sudden movements. My assistant shut the door behind the client and ushered him to a seat on the couch.

He looked crowded and uncomfortable.

"If all of you would wait in the kitchen, Naru and I have a client to speak with," Lin declared. In unison, every other body popped up and muttered apologies, scurrying to the kitchen.

Lin took a seat across from the man, grabbing an adjacent notepad and pen from the surface of the coffee table. I began the routine that came so naturally, but felt so unnatural to say after such a long time.

"Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research. You must be the client we were expecting, Mr." I paused, flipping open the file in my hands and skimming the top document. "Hiro."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the door to the kitchen crooked slightly open, ears pressed firmly against the crack.

A breath escaped me. Even after three years some people don't change.

I was brought back by a shaky voice, "Ah, I am Hiro Tanaka. Or just Hiro-san if you will… Or Tanaka… It is a pleasure." Hiro-san nodded, shaggy brown hair bobbing with him. I eyed him carefully and the only sound to resonate from the walls was faint breathing and the scribbling of Lin's writing against paper.

"Well, Hiro-san, would you mind starting by telling us your reason for coming?" I inquired, slightly leaning back against the seat, crossing one leg over the other.

Hiro squirmed uneasily and kept his stare towards the floor, as though he was checking for any scuff marks deep within the carpet. Finally he spoke.

"I…my sister and I live alone. Our parent's died but a few years ago and we inherited the house. It is on private land about half an hour out from the city. When our parent's died…" he trailed off.

His hand shot up to his mouth and he caressed the stubble against his chin. With his free hand, he rubbed his leg above the knee and began to shake nervously. I looked over to Lin who sent me a look, writing down another note.

"Sorry," he apologized, swallowing hard. "This is difficult for me."

I nodded. It was always hard to relive traumatizing moments. I watched _her_ do it on every case back then.

With a large intake of air, the hazel eyed man continued, "When our parent's died- well more precisely how they died- was through a murder. It occurred in our home. Mana –my sister- and I went out to the city for groceries and when we came back… They had the blood drained from their bodies, every ounce, and it was used to paint my sister's room. Their bodies were found lying in the center of that room. The murderer was also found in that room. He hung himself above the bodies of our parent's, with a word etched into his bare chest with a knife. It said 'dance'. I'm not sure what it meant. No one in my family was ever a dancer."

I stopped and we locked eyes. I did not need to speak for him to know to continue.

"Nothing has ever happened since then. Mana and I have lived peacefully, though she still suffers mentally because of it. Though recently, things have been happening. Mana will shift from her normal attitude to someone so malicious… Four days ago I found her out in the yard, sitting up in a tree and tearing the skin off of birds with her bare hands. And she just- just looked down at me, and _smiled_. It's not like her! She would never…"

Lin balanced his pen against the notepad and set it down. "Have you considered letting her see a therapist? The trauma of that event might be too much. It is most likely a psychological problem, not a spiritual one."

Hiro's head snapped up, incredulously staring at Lin. They held gazes until Hiro whispered to him, "But that's not even the part that worries me most."

"Mana switched bedrooms ever since the incident. A few times I have gone in to tidy up and the walls would be scarlet. I-I didn't know what to do. I would close my eyes in disbelief and not two seconds later when I reopened them the room would return to its normal state. Both Mana and I have heard footsteps in the middle of the night, moving at a rapid pace sometimes, and at others, more slowly. Rapping sounds echo off the walls. And one day…yesterday, actually, I was roaming the halls of our home and stumbled into Mana's old room. It has been cleared since the murder, but no one has stepped foot in it since. And there I found…There was…" Hiro stuttered.

The jittery man dug a hand deep into his coat pocket, fetching a small flip phone. Erratically, he flipped it open, violently pressing keys on the pad for a few seconds before stilling. Hiro visibly tensed, his back arched and his body curled inward.

Extending a hand, he pressed the phone towards me. I warily protracted my own, taking hold of the device.

Hiro was still in a half fetal position. I glanced down to the lit up screen on the phone.

There, spelled out with blood was the word 'dance' in all capitals, covering half of the wooden floor. I eyed the photo carefully, squinting at the pixelated image. There was something there… Ah. I thumbed over the buttons to zoom in, and narrowed my focus to the corner of the window. A small girl, no older than sixteen, sat in the background, swinging on a tire swing connected to a decrepit tree, eerily smiling at the camera.

It was more than one hundred yards away. That was no coincidence.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," he cried. "I can't even relax in my own home. I haven't slept for God knows how long! Something new happens every day and I can't help but think it's the ghost of my parent's murderer! It has to be!"

The home was old, passed down through the family. The sounds could be explained. The bloody paintings are most likely the work of Hiro's younger sibling. I paused. Something didn't feel right.

"I-"

I abruptly cut Lin off, "Expect us in two days. Please have a room spacious enough for a team of seven or eight plus our equipment. Will you be able to accommodate us with that in the allotted time?"

Hiro nearly jumped. In fact, he did jump. Directly from his seat he sprang to his feet and leapt precariously across the table. I blinked in surprise as he clutched my hand. His eyes bore holes into mine.

"I can. I can and I will. Thank you so much." The last part he whispered. I simply nodded, not breaking contact.

Too quickly he managed to retrieve a card from his pocket, gently placing it on the table.

"This has my home number, cell, address, and email."

Again I nodded. Lin stood and, without a word, sheltered himself back inside the darkness of his office. I quietly stood, and piloted our client to the door. He did nothing but mumble his thanks and bow his head.

Upon closing the door, the team swiftly exited the kitchen, bombarding me with trivial questions.

"Why did you take the case?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Can we solve it?"

My head hurt. I groaned under my breath and ignored the lot, quick stepping back to my office and audibly slamming the door behind me.

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`

My head reeled and I let out a riled breath, pushing a mountain of blankets from my body. Kicking my legs off the bed, I flipped to the ground. The earth spun before me and I slammed a hand against the wall, falling sideways.

Jesus christ.

My brain was working faster than my legs, and I stumbled out of the darkly lit bedroom. My eyes squinted.

"Morning?" I slurred, embracing the light that penetrated my eyelids from the bathroom.

I slid over to the bathtub, gently stepping in and balancing on my toes. I peered out the window above the shower. The only light to touch the grass was the reflection of the moon's rays.

No, not morning. It was the middle of the night. I could have laughed. Of course it was. When do I not wake up at this hour? I sighed, stepping out of the bathroom and flicking off the light. My shoulders sagged in the welcoming relief of seeing nothing but the dull outline of the few pieces of furniture I owned.

A thump to my left made me jump and my neck snapped in its direction.

It became even more silent, the ringing sounds that normally penetrated my ears gone. I peered out, searching for the source of the sound.

I was about to give up and move to curl into my bed when suddenly a face appeared before my own.

I held in a scream and tensed until sensing who it was. I relaxed slightly before bubbling.

"Nao!" I yelled in a low tone.

The face backed up for me to register him whole. There stood a man clad in a silly grin. If only I could punch him.

"I apologize," he chuckled. "It's just that, startling you is always so enjoyable." I glared.

"Well it won't be when I exorcise your spirit."

Nao stopped and looked down. Guilt eating at me, my anger faded. I let out a breath and scooted closer to him, resting a hand on his.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean that. You just made me a little mad."

He pursed his lips before glancing up, "It's okay." Childishly, he ruffled my hair and pulled the corners of his lips upward. "Go get some rest. I feel that these next few days will be rough."

I rubbed at my eyes and silently agreed. Nao laid a tender hand to the small of my back and urged me to my room. I yawned and blindly followed the path my subconscious memorized. As I slipped back into a new land of dreams, Nao's image began to fade.

"Goodnight, Mai."

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